Tempting the Rancher Read online

  Thorn was telling everyone about the bike he’d just built for a celebrity. Walker just continued to study his hand. He could have added to the conversation, since he happened to know the man personally. But he stayed silent. That was a life he’d rather not remember.

  Walker heard the knock on the door and all it took was the tingle that moved up his arm to let him know it was Bailey. The mere thought that he could want her with such intensity should have frozen him cold, especially after what she’d accused him of last night. Instead, the opposite was happening. He had dreamed of her, allowed her to invade his mind all day, and now his body was responding in a way it did whenever a man wanted a woman.

  “Come in,” Dillon yelled out. “And whoever you are, you better be a male.”

  Bailey stuck her head in the door. “Sorry to disappoint you, Dil. I decided to check and make sure all of you are still alive and in one piece. I can just imagine how much money has been lost about now,” she said with a grin as she stepped into the room.

  Walker was the only one who bothered to look up at her. She was gorgeous. Her hair hung like soft waves across her shoulders and her outfit, a pair of jeans and a blue pullover sweater, emphasized her curves, making her look feminine and sexy as hell.

  All he could do was stare at her, and then she met his eyes. Bam! The moment their gazes connected he felt something slam into him. He was sure it had the same effect on her. It was as if they were the only two people in the room, and he was glad her family was more interested in studying their cards than studying them.

  One of the things he noticed was the absence of that spark of anger in her eyes. It had definitely been there last night. Instead, he saw something else, something that had heat drumming through every inch of his body. Had frissons of fire racing up his spine. Was he imagining it?

  “Go away, Bay. You’ll bring me bad luck,” wailed her cousin Durango, who’d flown in from Montana. He held his gaze steady on the cards in his hand.

  “You’re probably losing big-time anyway,” she said, chuckling, breaking eye contact with Walker to look at Durango. “Another reason I’m here is to rescue Walker.” Her gaze returned to Walker. “He’s probably tired of your company about now, but is too nice to say so. So I’m here to rescue him.”

  Walker saw twelve pairs of eyes shift from their cards to him, but instead of seeing even a speck of curiosity, he saw pity as if they were thinking, We’re glad it’s you and not us. Their gazes then returned to their cards.

  “We’re not stupid, Bay,” Zane Westmoreland said, grinning and throwing a card out. “You think you can pump Walker for information about our plans for Aidan’s bachelor party. But we’ve told Walker the rules. What we say in this room stays in this room.”

  “Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Well, Walker, do you want to be rescued?”

  He didn’t have to think twice about it, although he was wondering about her motive. “Why not,” he said, sliding back his chair. “But it’s not because I haven’t enjoyed the company,” he said, standing and placing his cards down. “It’s because I refuse to lose any more money to you guys. All of you are professional gamblers whether you admit it or not.”

  Dillon chuckled. “Ian is the only true gambler in the family. We’re just wannabes. If he was here you wouldn’t be walking out with your shirt on, trust me.”

  Walker smiled. “Can’t wait to meet him.” He moved across the room toward the door where Bailey stood. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

  “Not too early, though,” Zane cautioned, throwing out a card. “This game will probably be an all-nighter, so chances are we’ll all sleep late.”

  Walker nodded. “I’ll remember that.”

  * * *

  “Any reason you felt the need to rescue me?”

  Bailey glanced over at Walker as they headed toward the stairs. “I thought you might want to go riding.”

  “Horseback riding? This time of night? In this weather?”

  She chuckled. “Not horseback riding. Truck riding. And yes, this time of night or, rather, this time of morning since it’s after midnight. And it’s a nice night. At least nicer than most. Besides, there’s something I need to say to you.”

  He stopped walking and held her gaze. “Didn’t get all your accusations off your chest last night?”

  She knew she deserved that. “I was out of line and jumped to conclusions.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you?”

  “Yes, and if it’s okay with you I’d like to talk to you about it. But not here. So if you’re up to riding, I know the perfect place where we can have a private conversation.”

  From his expression she could tell he was wondering what this private conversation would be about. However, instead of asking he merely nodded and said, “Okay, lead the way.”

  Bailey nodded, too, and then moved forward. Once they made it downstairs she grabbed her coat and waited while he got his. The house was quiet. Everyone with a lick of sense had gone to bed, which didn’t say a lot for herself, Walker, her cousins and brothers. But she had been determined to hang around and talk to Walker.

  When they stepped outside she saw the temperature had dropped. It was colder than she’d thought. She glanced over at him. “It won’t take long for Kent to warm up.”

  “Kent?”

  She nodded, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat. “Yes. My truck.”

  He chuckled. “You gave your truck a name?”

  “Yes. He and I go a long way back, so we’re best buds. I take care of him and he takes care of me.” She smiled. “Let me rephrase that. JoJo helps me take care of him.”

  “JoJo is Stern’s wife, right? The mechanic?”

  “Yes,” Bailey said, reaching her truck. “The best in Denver. Probably the country. The wor—”

  “Okay, I get the picture.”

  She threw her head back and laughed as she opened her truck door. She climbed inside, buckled up and waited until he did the same. “So where are we headed?” he asked.

  She looked over at him. “Bailey’s Bay.”

  * * *

  Walker had heard about Bailey’s Bay and had even covered parts of it yesterday while out horseback riding with Ramsey and Zane. He’d been told by Dillon that Westmoreland Country sat on over eighteen hundred acres. Since Dillon was the eldest, he had inherited the main house along with the three hundred acres it sat on. Everyone else, upon reaching the age of twenty-five, received one hundred acres to call their own. Bailey had decided to name each person’s homestead and had come up with names such as Ramsey’s Web, Stern’s Stronghold, Zane’s Hideout, Derringer’s Dungeon and Megan’s Meadows. She had named hers Bailey’s Bay.

  “I understand you haven’t built on your property yet,” he said, looking out the window. Because of the darkness, there wasn’t much to see.

  “That’s right. There’s no need. I have too many cousins and siblings with guest rooms at their homes. And then there’s Gemma’s house that sits empty most of the time since she’s living in Australia.”

  He didn’t say anything but figured shifting from guest room to guest room and from house to house would get old. “You do plan to build one day though, right?”

  “Yes, eventually. Right now Ramsey uses a lot of my land for sheep grazing, but that won’t stop me when I’m ready. I know exactly where I intend to sit my home, and it’s far away from the grazing land.”

  “I bet your place will be a beauty whenever you decide to build.” He had seen all the other homes. Each one was breathtaking and said a lot about the owners’ personalities. He wondered what design Bailey would choose. Single story that spread out with several wings? Or a two-story mansion erected like a magnificent piece of art? Either one would be a lot of house for one person. But then didn’t the same hold true for the house he lived in? All that land and all t
hat house.

  “Yes. I plan to make it a masterpiece.”

  He didn’t doubt that and could even visualize the home she would probably build for herself.

  “Bailey’s Bay was chosen for me and sits next to Zane’s and between Ramsey and Dillon’s properties.” She chuckled. “That was a deliberate move on my brothers’ and cousins’ parts since they figured Zane would stay in my business, and Dillon and Ramsey were the only two people I would listen to.”

  “Are they?”

  “Pretty much, but sometimes I won’t listen to anyone.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. Bailey was definitely a rebel. That was probably some of her appeal. That, along with her sensuality. He doubted she knew just how sensual she was. It would be any man’s downfall when she did realize it.

  They didn’t say anything for a while, until she brought the truck to a stop. “Here we are.”

  Thanks to the full moon and the stars overhead he could make out the lake. It stretched wide and endless and the waters were calm. From riding out here with Zane and Ramsey he knew the lake ran through most of the Westmoreland land. “Gemma Lake, right?”

  “Yes. Raphel named it after my great-grandmother. I never knew them, or my grandparents for that matter. They died before I was born. But I heard they were great people and they left a wonderful legacy for us to be proud of.”

  Walker thought about the legacy his own parents, grandparents and great-grandparents had left and how he’d almost turned his back on that legacy to go after what hadn’t been his dream but had been Kalyn’s dream. Never again would he allow any woman to have that much power over him.

  So why was he here? He had been in a card game and Bailey had showed up, suggesting they leave, and he had. Why? Was he once again allowing a woman to make decisions for him?

  Walker glanced over at her. She stared straight ahead and he wondered what she was thinking. He looked back at the lake. It was peaceful. He liked being here with Bailey, parked, sharing this moment with her.

  He was well aware they were attracted to each other, although neither of them had acted on it. But the desire was there nonetheless. Whenever they were alone there was always some sort of sexual aura surrounding them. Like now.

  Even when there were others around he was aware of her. Like that first night when everyone had shown up at Dillon’s for dinner. Walker had kept looking across the table at her, liking the sexy sound of her laugh. He had to be honest with himself—he had deliberately waited for her last night, outside by the barn, knowing she would eventually drop by Dillon’s house since Zane had mentioned she did it every day.

  The effect she was having on him bothered him, which was why he’d changed his plans so he could leave Saturday evening after the wedding instead of on Monday. The last thing he needed was to get involved with Bailey Westmoreland. He would never marry again, and all he could ever offer her was an affair that led nowhere. That wouldn’t be good for her and could affect the friendships he’d made with her family.

  He glanced over at her. “You said you wanted to talk,” he prompted. The sooner they finished the sooner they could leave. Being out here alone with her could lead to trouble.

  She looked over at him. He could barely see her features in the moonlight but he didn’t need a bright light to know she was beautiful. She had rolled down the window a little and the cold air coming in enhanced her scent. It was filling his nostrils with the most luscious aroma.

  But her looks and her scent weren’t the issue; nor should they be. He had to remember he deserved better than a woman who could be another Kalyn.

  “About last night.”

  That got his attention. “What about it?”

  “I owe you an apology.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes. I made accusations that I should not have.”

  Yes, she had, but he couldn’t help wondering what had made her realize that fact. “What makes you so sure?”

  She frowned. “Are you saying that I was right?”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. You need to do something about being quick to jump to conclusions.”

  She waited a second, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel before saying, “I know. My family warns me about it all the time.”

  He touched her shoulder for emphasis. “Then, maybe you should listen to them.”

  He suddenly realized touching her had been a mistake. With her layered clothing he was far from coming into contact with bare skin, but he could still feel sensuous heat swelling his fingertips.

  “I try to listen.”

  The catch in her voice sent a ripple of desire through him. He shifted in his seat when a thrumming dose of heat ripped through his gut. “Maybe you should try harder, Bailey.”

  * * *

  What made Walker so different from any other man? His touch on her shoulder affected her in a way no man’s touch had ever affected her before. How did he have the ability to reach her inner being and remind her that she was a woman?

  Personal relationships weren’t her forte. Most of the guys in these parts were too afraid of her brothers and cousins to even think of crossing the line, so she’d only had one lover. For her it had been one and done, and executed more out of curiosity than anything else. She certainly hadn’t been driven by the kind of sexual desire she was feeling with Walker.

  There was a spike of heat that always rolled in her stomach whenever she was around him, not to mention the warmth that settled in the area between her legs. Even now, just being in the same vehicle with him was making her breasts tingle. Had his face inched a little closer to hers?

  Suggesting they go for a late-night ride might not have been a good idea after all. “I’m not perfect,” she finally said softly.

  “No one is perfect,” he responded huskily.

  Bailey drew in a sharp breath when he rubbed a finger across her cheek. She fought back the slow moan that threatened to slip past her lips. His hand on her shoulder had caused internal havoc; his fingers on her face were stirring something to life inside her that she’d never felt before.

  She needed to bring an end to this madness. The last thing she wanted was for him to misunderstand the reason she’d brought him here. “I didn’t bring you out here for this, Walker,” she said. “I don’t want you getting the wrong idea.”

  “Okay, what’s the right idea?” he asked, leaning in even closer. “Why did you bring me out here?”

  Nervously, she licked her lips. He was still rubbing a finger across her cheek. “To apologize.”

  “Apology accepted.” Then he lowered his head and took possession of her mouth.

  Chapter 5

  Walker deepened the kiss, even while trying to convince himself that he should not be kissing Bailey. No way should his tongue be tangling with hers or hers with his.

  But she tasted so damn good. And he didn’t want to stop. Truth be told, he’d been anxiously waiting for this minute. He would even admit he’d waited ever since that day at the airport when he’d first thought her lips were a luscious pair. A pair he wanted to taste. Now he was getting his chance.

  Her tongue was driving him insane. Her taste was hot, simply addictive. She created a wildness within him, unleashing a sexual beast that wanted to consume every bone-melting inch of her. When had he kissed any woman so thoroughly, with such unapologetic rawness?

  He tangled his fingers in her hair, holding her mouth captive as his mouth and tongue sucked, licked and teased every delicious inch of her mouth. This kiss was so incredibly pleasurable his testicles ached. If he didn’t end things now, this kiss could very well penetrate his very soul.

  He reluctantly broke off the kiss, but made sure his mouth didn’t stray far. He could feel the sweet, moist heat of her breath on his lips and he liked it. He liked it so much that he gave in to temptation and used his tongue to trace a pa
th along her lips. Moments later that same tongue tracked a line down her neck and collarbone before returning to her mouth.

  She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking it, but at that moment he wished the truck had a backseat. All the things he would do to her filled his mind.

  “That was some acceptance,” she whispered hotly against his lips.

  He leaned forward and nibbled around her chin. “Acceptance of what?”

  “My apology. Maybe I should apologize more often.”

  He chuckled lightly, leaning back to meet her gaze. “Do you often do or say things that require an apology?”

  “So I’m told. I’m known to put my foot in my mouth more often than not. But do you know what?”

  “What?”

  “I definitely like your tongue in my mouth a lot better, Walker.”

  Walker drew in a ragged breath. He was learning there was no telling what would come out of that luscious mouth of hers. “No problem. That can be arranged.”

  He leaned in and kissed her again; this time was more intense than the last. He figured he needed the memory of this kiss to take back to Kodiak for those long cold nights, when he would sit in front of the fireplace alone and nurse a bottle of beer.

  She was shivering in his arms and he knew it had nothing to do with the temperature. She was returning his kiss in a way that ignited every cell in his body, and tasted just as incredibly sexy as she looked. Never had he sampled a woman whose flavor fired his blood to a degree where he actually felt heat rushing through his veins.

  He could do a number on her mouth forever, and would have attempted to do so if he hadn’t felt her fingers fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. He needed to end this now or else he would be a goner. There was only so much he could take when it came to Bailey.